search out for himself those lessons which speak specially to his own soul, and may come to a clear apprehension of the truth.

The Author prayerfully commends the subject he has selected to the perusal of the Christian public, hoping that it may accomplish the sole end for which it was written, namely, the Glory of God in the encouragement and comfort and edification of His Spiritual Israel.

CONTEMPLATIONS

ON

ISRAEL'S EXODUS.

CHAPTER I.

THE HOUSE OF BONDAGE.

EXOD. xiii. 3.

OW frequently we find God reminding the

Israelites of the house of bondage!'

When He gives His commandments by

Moses, His encouragements by Joshua, His promises through David, His warnings by the Prophets, He refers to that miserable servitude which they had so long endured in the land of Egypt. When He speaks of Himself to remind them of His goodness, or when He speaks of them to mark their sins, or to notice their privileges, He almost invariably strengthens His declaration by saying,

70

B

'Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman

in the land of Egypt.'

Surely God had a reason for so doing: He would not, without adequate reason, have so frequently brought the painful reflection before them. He had a reason, and a wise one, too. He had chosen Israel for His inheritance, to be a peculiar people unto Him above all the people that were upon the earth. They were the descendants of the seed of promise, and had been kept a distinct people through many generations. They had been highly favoured with religious privileges, and many wonderful manifestations of Divine power and goodness. He had given to them statutes and commandments, and had vouchsafed to rule them, Himself to be their king: so that Moses, in admiration of so honourable a distinction, exclaimed, 'What nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them?' And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law?' And even the heathen around, ignorant though they were of the extent of Israel's blessings, could not but express their wonder, and say, 'Surely this great nation

is a wise and understanding people!' And well they might; for He who had called them in Abraham had promised, 'I will be their God, and they shall be to me a people.'

Now the Lord knew that the tendency of the human heart is to regard privilege in the place of merit; that mankind are prone to take a pride in what they possess, as though it were some personal qualification deserving praise. So He could foresee that the Israelites, possessing such distinguished marks of God's favour, would be very prone to forget that their exaltation was owing to the free, unmerited grace of God, and to think that the Lord had selected them as a peculiar treasure because they were better and more deserving than other people; and consequently, that they would, from the very fact of their high standing, be in danger of an overwhelming spiritual pride; as indeed was the case afterwards when they began to think that being Abraham's children' was synonymous with deserving eternal life. To counteract this tendency of their nature and danger of their position, God would have them turn their thoughts frequently to their former low estate and the de

gradation from which He had rescued them. To keep them humble, therefore, He said, 'Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage.'

Let us bear in mind that the account of Israel from the time of their sojourn in Egypt, to their entrance into the promised land of Canaan, is not only a history, but is also an allegory; and all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition.' Let us not, then, look upon these accounts merely as interesting narrative, but, by the help of God's teaching, let us endeavour to make a profitable application of its lessons to our own hearts.

Taking the passage before us in this view, we learn this very needful lesson (i. e. supposing we have any reasonable ground for thinking we are God's people), 'Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.' To do this (which is, to check spiritual pride), Christians are directed to look back to their former state, just as the Israelites were told to remember their low degree when bondservants in Egypt. To the same effect are many of St. Paul's exhortations: as, for example, when he